Something Yummy

It might be surprising, but did you know that the littlest girls, our Juniors who are as young as six, are often some of our best rock climbers? They certainly are predictably enthusiastic and ready to try just about anything, and this easily translates into a fearlessness spirit of adventure. When we announced an optional trip to climb Castle Rock (one of the tall rock cliffs above the camp), Mallory was surrounded by little ones clamoring for the chance. They love gearing up with helmets, harnesses and those cool, sticky-rubber shoes, and hiking the trail up to the base of the rock. What makes these little ones great climbers, besides their attitude, is their flexibility and strength relative to their weight. While they might not be able to reach a high handhold on the rock, being small is an overall advantage. This is real rock climbing, and they feel pretty “big” after doing it.

Yesterday after dinner, during that period of free time we call “Twilight,” we offered a garden workshop with Pam, Rockbrook’s awesome gardener (here she is in this photo). She organized the activity by teaching the girls about Tussie-Mussies. Sometimes called “Posies” or “Nosegays,” these are small bouquets of flowers given in the Victorian-era as gifts, following the “Language of Flowers” where different blossoms had different meanings. Giving someone a Tussie-Mussie was a way to send a coded message, back when speaking directly wasn’t always socially acceptable. With Pam’s help, the girls learned a few of the meanings (e.g., a daisy means beauty), tasting some of the herbs, and then each made their own example.  What a unique experience!  Then to round out the evening, evening pitched in to make a scarecrow.  Using hay, they stuffed a shirt and overalls, and decorated a pot for the head.  See the grass hair? It’s really neat to see the girls having this much fun doing something this simple and traditional.

Throughout the day today, we took Rockbrook Middlers and Seniors whitewater rafting on the Nantahala River. Some traveled over to our Nantahala outpost, located not far from the rafting put-in, to spend the night. We arrived in time to have a taco dinner and s’mores before hitting the hay in the platform cabins. The next morning, we met our team of raft guides, and suited up for the river, enjoying the bright sunshine and 70-degree temps. In fact, it was absolutely perfect weather, warm and sunny, perfect for inspiring splash fights between rafts, and even intentionally jumping in now and then. A raft full of excited, chatting, singing girls is a lot of fun, and when you send that raft through whitewater rapids, bumping, splashing, and sometimes spinning along, it’s about as good as it gets! We all enjoyed a picnic lunch after the first morning trip, and then met another group of Rockbrook girls to run the river again in the afternoon. Altogether, we rafted more than 60 people today, a big fun day of adventure.

Back at camp in time for dinner, which was some of Rick’s homemade lasagna with bread and salad (yum!), we heard the news that tonight’s evening program would be a “Western Auction” led by Jerry. He arrived dressed in jeans, white long-sleeve shirt, sunglasses and hat, and explained how the girls could bid on mystery prizes. They would bid not knowing if the items were some kind of treat like banana boats, or some funny chore like a morning swim in the lake (“polar bear”) or gift like tooth brushes. Jerry rattled off the auction with cabins raising their paper plate insignias to bid. Each cabin had enough “Rockbrook Bucks” to win 2 items, one of which usually ended up being something yummy. After winning a bid, a hushed, worried anticipation comes over a cabin, but when Jerry announces a “good” prize, they explode with cheers, arms stretched high. In addition to the bidding, it’s finding out what you’ve won that makes this game so much fun.

A Magical Colorful Day

After more than a week of completely dry and rather warm weather, we had two hours of the opposite last night right before dinner. It was one of those storms where a fast moving front, with a solid blanket of rain and not so much wind, pushed past us, and in just that short amount of time we had almost an inch of cool rain fall. This didn’t really phase the campers much, since extending the last activity period and staying inside until dinner is simple enough, but the gravel roads around camp (a little less than 2 miles of them!) needed to be scraped and smoothed. This photo of a canoeing class this morning shows another remnant of the storm— the Rockbrook lake’s brown, almost coffee-like color from the silt washed down the creek. All of the rivers around here take on this color after these big, deep washing storms, so Rockbrook’s stream-fed lake is no exception. In about a day, the silt will settle and the deeper, dark lake color we know will return.

Waking up at Rockbrook, after an evening storm like that, takes on a magical quality. It starts with shades of gray and a gradually brightening of the sky. Everything is almost colorless as a thick fog, born from the cool moisture in the air, envelopes us. The sounds of birds awakening and the rich, organic smell of the forest remind you of the all the life hiding in the mist. At 8:00am the more human sounds of camp begin to mingle. A sleepy Hi-Up comes down to the dining hall porch to ring the wake up bell, a sound that girls at Rockbrook have heard for 90 years. It doesn’t take long for campers and counselors to begin trickling out of their cabins toward the dining hall. Meanwhile, it’s getting brighter and brighter, and everything is becoming more colorful. There are girls’ voices, sounds of cabin doors closing and tables being set with plates, cups and flatware as the sun pokes through the fog and the flowers on the grassy hill beam brightly.  Rockbrook is set for another wonderful day.

Today was a big day on the Nantahala river for most of the Middlers and Seniors at camp. Yesterday we asked who would like to go whitewater rafting, and almost everyone signed up for either an overnight trip that included camping at our outpost near the river, or a day trip. The Nantahala is an ideal river to raft, perfect for beginners, but with enough bigger rapids to keep everyone excited. Our raft guides met us at the put-in with all of the RBC equipment so when the buses of campers arrived, they could hop right out and get suited up with lifejackets, paddles and helmets. Some of the girls looked a little nervous about the trip— perhaps it was hearing how cold the water is that worried them —but that was balanced by the overall excitement of the group and soothed by the raft guides. They calmly and cheerfully explained all the safety protocols, and coached the girls about how to paddle and stay in the raft during the trip. These are veteran raft guides; each one has more than ten years of whitewater experience and working with kids.  The trip down the river takes a couple of hours alternating over rapids and calm spots, deep and shallow sections, rocky and clear stretches of the river.  This photo shows one of the games the guides sometimes play.  It’s called “Hood Ornament” and it’s when the campers take turns riding on the front of the raft, like the figurehead of a ship.  Going over some of the smaller rapids, this can be a bumpy, face-splashing ride! The weather was perfectly warm and sunny today, making these trips loads of fun and what will be for many of the girls a highlight of their outdoor experience at camp.

Back at camp in time for dinner, the girls were surprised to learn that it was “Birthday Night.” This is a fun special dinner where a group of counselors throw a camp-wide birthday party, complete with decorations, music, costumes and of course birthday cake. They rearrange the dining hall so that everyone can sit at a table according to their birth month. The kitchen, mostly Alison our dedicated baker, prepares by baking 12 cakes, one for each month, and then with some help from the Hi-Ups, they are decorated to match the night’s theme: Candyland.  With the counselors leading the way, the campers were encouraged to dress up in a “candy-related” costume.  Of course, that can mean just about anything, but I did see at least one M&M and a couple of recognizable candy canes.  There are a few shots of cakes in the photo gallery… lots of colorful decoration!

Oh, I almost forgot to mention the amazing muffins Alison baked for us today.  She broke completely new ground with her “Lucky Charms Muffins.”  Just for the fun of it, she took a granola muffin recipe and substituted part of the granola with the cereal making a colorful variation.  You could still recognize the pink hearts, yellow moons, orange stars, and green clovers. They were magically delicious!

Ready to Paddle and Bid

“Who wants to go rafting?” That’s the question we asked all the Middlers and Seniors, and with little surprise, we had almost 90% of them sign up to go on a trip to the Nantahala this week. There were two options, a day-long trip that would leave camp after breakfast to return before dinner or an overnight-trip that would spend the night over at Rockbrook’s outpost camp near the river. Both are big adventures, with the overnight being even more so. The outpost is very remote (It adjoins the national forest and is not far from the Appalachian trail)— no cars, people or city lights for many, many miles. It’s a real treat to spend time out there sitting around the campfire, gazing at the stars, listening to the whippoorwills, enjoying the cool night air, and enjoying the social energy of being together. Monday night we had over 30 people out there, and while we made s’mores, I think we sang the entire Rockbrook songbook around the campfire!

And the rafting! Wow, it feels good these days. We too, like most of the southeast, have been experiencing some hot weather (For us that means highs just above 90 and lows just below 70), and this makes whitewater rafting all the more enjoyable. Each raft for these trips is guided by one of our seasoned guides, and is “powered” by 5 or 6 campers decked out in helmets and lifejackets ready to paddle. The 2-hour trip down the river is exciting right from the beginning with the first large rapid, “Patton’s Run,” around the first bend. Every rapid means a boat of happily screaming campers, the raft bouncing up and down, and plenty of splashing cold water to keep everyone cool. Between rapids, there’s time to trade places in the boats, maybe play a name game or sing a song, and even jump in the water for a super quick swim. And, you just never know when a splash war will break out between rafts. After successfully navigating a tricky rapid, often a boat will do a “high five” with the paddles proudly in the air. Sometimes campers will take a break from paddling and ride on the front of the boat as the “hood ornament,” something guaranteed to get you some serious splashing. It’s no wonder those two hours go by like 30 minutes!

Back at camp, the place was buzzing with activity, girls doing what they love and in lots of places, trying something new. At the very least, they may have tied a friendship bracelet before, for example, but not in such a beautiful place (like on the porch of the hillside lodge) or with so many friendly, supportive, nice people. Weaving a basket is fun, but so much more fun with your feet in the creek and good friends along side giggling in conversation.

Speaking of the creek, that short, open stretch of running water by Curosty, it has been a favorite hangout these days during free time. One thing the juniors like to do is have flip-flop races. Each girl takes off a shoe, drops it in the water simultaneously and then watches as they float down the stream. Of course, it’s important to catch them at the other end because that water ends up in the lake. If you miss your shoe, you’ll need a canoe to get it back!

Tonight’s evening program was a western themed, all-camp auction, a special event where our very own auctioneer, Jerry, “sells” surprise items to the cabin groups. Each cabin has $1000 of RBC bucks to bid, but what makes it exciting is that they don’t know what they are bidding on. Last night it might have been a yummy snack like chips and salsa, or it could have been something like serving your counselor breakfast in bed. Other prizes included glow sticks, sun glasses and tooth brushes! Some cabins were very careful with their money, waiting for the bid prices to begin lower before jumping in, while other cabin groups bid as high as they could, spending all of their money on a single item (of unknown value!). It’s easy to imagine the girls’ excitement when they win the bid and the prize turns out to be something great… hands-in-the-air-screams. Usually, each cabin can win two different items, and generally at least one is a snack of some kind. Either way it was loads of fun to dress up in out western garb, hear Jerry’s auctioneering, and enjoy the surprises unveiled to every winning bid.

More than Entertainment

This morning we had to say goodbye to our friends in the first July mini session. Across the board, the campers and counselors have felt this session fly by. We’ve been having the kind of fun that’s completely absorbing, and the kind of days where it’s easy to stay busy. And when there are this many cool people around to play with, the days click by without you even noticing. This closing day is particularly difficult for everyone because some of us, the full-session campers (and all of the staff, of course), are staying behind for 2 more weeks of camp. The mini sessions are great for younger campers and girls who are new to Rockbrook, but after a few years of coming, it’s completely normal to start attending for longer if possible.  We hear it all the time from campers on closing day, “Next year I’m coming for the full session!”

During the check out procedure today, one mother made a thoughtful comment worth sharing. After seeing her daughter in the photo gallery, reading this blog and the letters from her counselor, she remarked that what was most valuable about being at Rockbrook was not the activities, but the warm relationships her daughter had with everyone here. She didn’t really care if her daughter went down the water slide or rode horses as much as she had hoped. What mattered was that she felt comfortable, safe and had plenty of good people to be with. She thanked us for providing such a wonderful community. That was great to hear! Sure we spend a lot of time offering top-notch activities everyday, and making sure that there is always something fun to do, but it’s true camp is so much more than all of this. Rockbrook is a beautiful place and it’s tons of zany fun, but it’s the people and feel of the place that make it truly special.  We’re focused on making Rockbrook a great experience for our campers, far beyond just entertaining them.

Also today, a group of full session Middlers and Seniors took a day trip down the Nantahala river. We took our time and left after breakfast with a lunch and several snacks packed in the buses. Peaches before rafting! It wasn’t long after lunch and we had five rafts of excited girls splashing down the chilly rapids of the river, learning to slap a “high five” overhead with their paddles, laughing and singing along the way.  While it was hot and sunny for the first part of the trip, it started to rain for the last 30 minutes or so.  It wasn’t thundering, so we just kept on rafting, and surprisingly, the rain was warmer that the river water, so the girls didn’t skip a beat.  It was just all the more fun!  We were all totally soaked by the end, but after changing into dry clothes it was a comfortable bus ride back to camp in time for dinner.

Rafting Spectacular

Today was the first of our rafting trips for the session, our big adventure out on the Nantahala river. We asked all of the middlers and seniors if they would like to go and came up with a huge list of excited girls. One option was to go over on Monday night and camp at our outpost. Rockbrook owns a 40-acre outpost camp located just past the Upper Nantahala Gorge in Macon County that is set up with simple cabins, a bath house, dining hall and campfire ring. It adjoins the National forest (about 2 miles from the Appalachian trail) and is only about 15 minutes away from the rafting launch site. We took 3 buses to the outpost to enjoy a nice dinner, time around the campfire with s’mores and songs, and a good night’s sleep out in the forest. The next morning we met our guides (Clyde, Sid, Billy, Sam, Andria and Leland) and launched the rafts for a perfect sunny trip down the river, complete with plenty of splashing and screams bubbling up on the rapids. A second group of campers met us for a picnic lunch before heading up to start their rafting trip in the afternoon. We had great weather on this trip as well, happily avoiding the thunderstorm that passed by to the north of us. These whitewater trips are loads of fun and for many girls a highlight of their outdoor experience at camp.

By the way, Leland and Andria have written several books on whitewater boating, one on North Carolina rivers and another on some of the best whitewater in North America. Check them out over at Brushy Mountain Publishing. Good stuff.

Meanwhile back at camp, we were rock climbing, really climbing. Our lead climbers, Maddie, Abby and Mallory organized several groups of Juniors and Middlers for a trip up to Castle Rock. Some of the girls who signed up were brand new to climbing, so for them, just fitting the equipment— climbing shoes, harnesses, and helmets — was a part of the fun. But of course the real treat comes from making progress up the rock, from getting past a tough part, and often, from reaching the top and turning around to see the view. Even the littlest girls are great climbers. They’re so strong and agile, and generally fearless, they just zip right up the rock with very little hesitation.

Dinner tonight was a surprise event for the girls. It started with costumes, as is usually the case at Rockbrook. This time we all turned ourselves into a giant game of Clue. Like the classic board game, versions of Mrs. White, Professor Plum, Mrs. Peacock, and Mr. Green could be seen eating dinner together. Afterwords, the girls broke into their cabin groups to play a camp-wide game of Clue where, like the board game’s mystery that’s solved by following clues discovered in different rooms, the groups ran around camp to find different clues. Each station, the group had to perform a task of some sort before receiving their next clue. Quick name all the RBC activities, or make up a song about trees, or stand in a human pyramid, and so forth. The clues led every cabin group to each of the different stations and finally to the solution— where Sofie was hiding. By the end, there were prizes for everyone, but it was Junior cabin 4 who ran the fastest and performed their tasks the quickest to win overall.

Everyone’s Birthday

Visiting the equestrian center these days is a real treat. It’s just alive with big action and big smiles. The girls who selected riding as one of their activities are now well settled into the daily lessons. They know how to get dressed properly (helmet, boots, etc.), in most cases, how to lead their assigned horse out to one of the riding rings, and even how to mount. The riding staff is doing a wonderful job in the mounted lessons keeping each camper engaged and excited.  As the session progresses, it’s neat to see how much everyone’s confidence and skill has improved. It’s also fun to hear the campers talk about their favorite horse at camp, someone they’ve ridden a lot and gotten comfortable with. Maybe you’ve already received a letter from your daughter and heard about one of the great horses she’s been able to ride.  Learning to communicate with a special horse, and learning to trust him or her, is one of the most rewarding parts of horseback riding, and it’s happening just about every day around here.

Also, today was a big day for whitewater rafting on the Nantahala river. We took all the middlers and seniors who wanted to go on either an overnight camping/rafting trip or on a day trip down the river. The Nantahala is famous for being rather chilly (somewhere near 50 degrees) even in the heat of the summer, so we were lucky to have bright sunny weather for both trips. Great weather like this makes it much more fun to splash and play while rafting, even at times jumping in on purpose when the guides say it’s OK. Rockbrook is the only girls camp with a permit to raft the Nantahala (we’ve had it since the 1980s), so we also can hire our own seasoned raft guides. On this trip Clyde, Sid, Billy, Leland, Michelle and and Andria guided the boats, making up a team with more than 85 years of combined whitewater experience! These folks truly are the best. Rafting trips are always very exciting for the girls, and also pretty tiring, so it was no surprise to see most everyone conk out in the bus on the ride back to camp. This kind of adventure and fun needs some rest too!

Back at camp in time for dinner, there was a big surprise waiting. Birthday Night! This is a special dinner where the dining hall is rearranged so that everyone can sit according to their birth month… twelve big tables, one for each month. It’s really fun for campers and counselors to sit together and get to know better other girls from different cabins and age groups. This time, to give it a even more Rockbrook flair, we had a theme for the dinner: Candyland. And never missing a chance to dress up, this sparked some very creative costumes from the counselors and campers. They dressed as different types of candy and characters from the Candyland board game. In addition to lollipops and gumdrops, we saw the Duke of Swirl, Mr. Mint and Gramma Nutt. Even Sarah dressed up as a Hershey’s chocolate kiss with almonds! The highlight of the night though was the cakes, the homemade cakes Alison baked for each month that she then decorated as scenes from Candyland. They were both beautiful and delicious. There were some pretty huge pieces of cake for the girls in some months. Yum!

Horses, Muffins and Rafting at Camp

Our mini session campers have brought a bright new energy to our activities. Their first day included lots of firsts for many: first time climbing Castle Rock, first time shooting a bow and arrow, first friendship bracelet, and so much more! Director Jessi also offered one of her ever-popular yoga workshops. The barn seems to be the biggest hit with our newest campers. Every horse got a great workout yesterday, and every camper seemed to have a blast meeting some new friends of the large four-legged variety. The names we heard the most out of the barn were Cool Beans and Watson. These two horses are quite popular this year.

Rave reviews were heard mid-morning at muffin break. Our wonderfully creative baker Liz went all out on some banana chocolate chip muffins. Mixing two delicious recipes seems to be her specialty. We also enjoyed a little comfort at dinner by way of some chicken pot pie and chocolate chip bars.

This afternoon our first rafting trip of the week headed out to the Nantahala outpost with Jeff and counselors Allie and Sally. It’s sure to be an evening of campfire stories and s’mores. Tuesday about 50 more campers will join them for an exhilarating ride down the Nantahala with all of our specially trained raft guides. The team is headed up by our Outdoor Adventure Director, Clyde Carter. We are so lucky to have him work with us during the summer while he can get away from his college job as the Head of the Wilderness Leadership Department at Brevard College. He is a veteran on our local area rivers. We cannot believe that this will be our final trip over for summer 2010. Where does the time go? We will be sure to report back with a lot fun information from the trip.

Hiking, Climbing, Rafting and Yoga!

Almost everyday, various special activities are offered in addition to the regular activities. Several campers climbed up and enjoyed the view from the top of Castle Rock, the big rock looking down from the east side of camp. Then, others stretched, toned, and relaxed in a yoga class, which finished with head massages.

Brevard is known as the “Land of Waterfalls” for a reason! Several campers opted to go waterfall exploring in Dupont State Forest, which boasts over a dozen.

If that wasn’t enough, an overnight rafting trip went out as well. Girls went to our Nantahala Outpost, ate s’mores and enjoyed time by the fire. Then, they’ll raft first thing in the morning!